Marian Gertner Institute for Medical Nanosystems: 10 Years of Innovation

From left: The children of the late Marian Gertner, TAU Governors Mr. Alexander Gertner and Ms. Rita Brainin, with TAU President Joseph Klafter

A nanotechnology symposium marking the tenth anniversary of the Marian Gertner Institute for Medical Nanosystems kicked off the 2013 Board of Governors Meeting in the presence of TAU Governors Mr. Alexander Gertner and Ms. Rita Brainin. Together with their mother, Mrs. Hella Gertner, they established the Institute in honor of their late father, Marian Gertner, a devoted friend and benefactor of TAU for a quarter of a century.

Mrs. Hella Gertner, a TAU honorary doctor, was the driving force behind the Austrian Friends Association and served as its President for many years. Hella and her husband passed on their love of the University to their children, who continue to strengthen TAU’s presence in Austria and Switzerland to this day. They have also expanded the scope of the Institute's research to address some of the most challenging issues facing modern medicine. Through the Institute, the family has provided dozens of scholarships to talented students and has encouraged scientific collaborations with leading nanoscience centers around the world.

Prof. Robert Langer of MIT, the most cited engineer in history and a TAU honorary doctor, delivered the symposium’s keynote address. He spoke of how research in the field of nanomedicine is leading to new drug therapies that target cancer cells directly without harming the body, saying that “we are creating technologies to relieve suffering. We could save thousands of lives.”

Head of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Prof. Yael Hanein, spoke about Tel Aviv University’s passionate nanoscientists who are working together to develop new methods for enhanced imaging, more sensitive diagnostics and tissue regeneration. Other speakers at the symposium included Prof. Dan Peer of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, who is revolutionizing treatments for cancer and inflammation; Dr. Tal Dvir of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, a developer of nano-scale technologies for cardiac and brain tissue engineering; and Alzheimer’s expert Dr. Inna Slutsky of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine. Leading Israeli entrepreneurs Dr. Silvia Noiman from Pontifax and Dr. Giora Yaron, Chairman of the TAU Executive Council, commented on the bright future of nanomedicine and TAU's leadership in this field.